If you have not been to downtown Canton since the coronavirus pandemic set in back in March, you've missed plenty of improvements. Here is a look at five improvements being made that will make you think about coming back soon.
SPARTA STEAKHOUSE & LOUNGE
The Margaritakis family has made a couple of really nice improvements and reinvested into Stark County's best legacy steakhouse. The first thing you will notice is the new parking lot, a vast improvement over what was there. Now there are clear lines marking spots and no potholes. It is difficult to pave a parking lot when running a restaurant but it's logistically easier to be done when COVID-19 shuts down the economy. Nick Margaritakis, who runs the business, took advantage of the hand dealt to him.
The new parking lot isn't the only improvement. There is a new, swanky bar inside. Head on over to their Facebook page to see pictures of the new bar. Of course, they're still serving up their signature blueberry martinis from behind the new bar.
NEWLY PAVED STREETS
The city of Canton has paved many streets downtown, including McKinley Avenue, which was long overdue for new blacktop. You don't have to worry about spilling your coffee in the car now. The ride down McKinley is smooth. Portions of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th streets have been repaved as well in downtown proper.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
Steve Coon, who owns more private property downtown than any individual, added two electric vehicle charging stations in the parking deck adjacent to his largest rental properties, The Historic Onesto and Bliss Tower. Of course, the deck is open to the public as well and there is a charging station on the first floor. You'll also find a charging station in front of Alan Rodriguez's new shop on Cleveland Avenue NW, too.
PARKING DECK GETS FACELIFT
Coon also is investing money into making the structure of the parking deck look more presentable. Painters have been working since the spring on scraping rust off all of the
structural beams and painting all of them. It is quite a task since those beams have to be painted while the deck remains open.
NEW MENUS
Plenty of downtown spots have added to and changed existing menus. I can tell you there are great additions to Fronimo's, the Conestoga and the Amvets. New faves: Moscato chicken and shrimp (Fronimo's), dry-rub chicken wings (Conestoga), any burger from Amvets.
I'm sure I'm missing a couple of other new and improved parts about downtown Canton's restaurant scene. Drop me a line and remind me if I left some out.
Can't wait ... for the new lounge area
As residents in the Onesto, we have been awaiting the addition of a recreational deck that is being added to the top floor of the parking deck. Plans are underway to get started real soon with fire pits, grills, seating areas and pet-friendly artificial turf. I bring this up because there are a handful of vacancies between the Onesto and Bliss ready to be rented, including a double unit at the Bliss. See the ad on our homepage for more information and where to call to schedule a showing. There are plenty of residents looking forward to gatherings on our rooftop this fall.
All of these improvements and we haven't even mentioned the $12 million Centennial Plaza project, which will be completed before mid-September.
The character of the building
When Steve Coon bought The Historic Onesto, he had a great eye for history. In fact, it is one of the reasons why Coon's opinion often is sought by other developers of historic buildings throughout the state. While making the former hotel into apartments and lofts, he kept a great deal of the historic character to it. For example, these doors you see are false doors, but they stayed after remodeling to give the place the look of a hotel. None of these doors here, actually open, but they're super cool to look at when walking the halls and they give one the sense of what it might have been like when the Onesto was a place for people to lay their head when traveling through town.
